LONDON, England: Two ships were damaged in separate attacks off Yemen on Tuesday, as tensions in the region escalated during Israel’s offensive on Lebanon.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that one ship was struck by a sea drone, puncturing its ballast tank, while a second vessel sustained damage from a missile strike a few hours later. Both incidents occurred near Yemen’s Hodeida coast, and all crew members were reported safe.
Although no group immediately claimed responsibility, the Iran-backed Huthi rebels have been active in the region, previously targeting ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November. The Huthis describe these actions as support for Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. The first ship was hit 64 nautical miles from Hodeida by an uncrewed surface vessel, while the second ship was struck by a missile 97 nautical miles away.
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These incidents are part of ongoing Huthi drone and missile attacks, which have disrupted maritime traffic and prompted retaliatory strikes from the United States and Britain on Huthi targets. Earlier in the week, Israeli air strikes hit Hodeida after the Huthis claimed to have fired a missile at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport.
